1) RETAIL TOWN HALL: We are gearing up for our Spring Town Hall Meeting next week, on
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 @ 7-9pm (doors open @ 6:30 pm) at Clarke Hall. Hope you Saved the Date! Please share this final Poster with your networks. The Agenda really evolved this past week! All are welcome to attend and there will be treats!
THEME: “Port Credit Mainstreet Retail – What’s In Store?” Answer: A Lot! Includes an opening presentation from the new General Manager of the Port Credit BIA (Anita Kovacevic – welcome!) about PCBIA’s new business plan and branding. We’ll have City presentations about the just-released Parking Master Plan (May 2019) and the Lakeshore Corridor Transportation Plan approved by Council on Wed. June 5, 2019. As we know, Parking is the ugly step-sister of Traffic, and always tags along. Pressures on both “sisters” will only increase with the 1000’s and 1000’s of new residents who will be moving here – now estimated to be 50,000 people between the new developments in Port Credit and Lakeview. There are some bold ideas in the Plans to make Mainstreet shopping more comfortable and accessible and therefore more profitable for the shops (wider sidewalks, bike lanes, less street parking, alternatives to cars including better transit). But the transition is delicate, and order of operation is key, with fears of increased side-street parking, drops in business and even more traffic congestion (already at a standstill). Can the change be orderly, when some initiatives to provide alternatives to cars may be years away? Let’s see what everybody thinks.
Senior executives from Dream (on behalf of West Village Partners) will speak about their curated retail tenants and new branding on the West Village PC site, and when we can expect to shop there. NOTE: West Village could be the first *new* and significant retail to reflect what is proposed in the Plans for a liveable and sustainable mainstreet! Consultant Dana Anderson from MHBC will then address retail trends and planning for the mainstreet retail format we want to preserve against the increasing pressures of mall, big box and online shopping. Let’s do this! Give your thoughts during Public Q&A plus participate in a Facilitated Survey (Dream is helping us) to identify the type of retailers the community would like to see on our mainstreet – there are lots of physical gaps that can be filled by the new mainstreet developments! For sure, a hardware store and an affordable grocery store will be included in the results?
Closing Remarks by Ward 1 Councillor Stephen Dasko will bring us all back to where we actually go from here and how and when. We can help our Councillor best represent us as a community by providing our candid thoughts at the Town Hall.
2) FOLLOW-UP TO REGIONAL REVIEW: As previously e-mailed, TOPCA reps
made a 20-minute presentation on May 8th to the Special Advisors for the provincial Regional Government Review, reflecting our best understanding of citizen concerns that we heard, and our own experience as citizen volunteers within a two-tier municipality. As made clear in the Presentation, we could not take a *TOPCA position* on the matter of Mississauga’s separation from Peel; we had sought no consensus from our membership to do so. After the presentation we submitted the print version of our Presentation for the Advisors’ review as requested. View TOPCA’s 11-page PDF print submission. We will record any updates on the ‘Regional Question’ at: topca.net/#regional_review. It is possible we may not hear anything further until August.
3) COMING PC EVENTS: (always more to be added!) Posted on the TOPCA Calendar. We won’t repeat it all here, but do browse the Calendar sidebar and Postcard regularly for all the wonderful events.
*SAVE THE DATES*
TOPCA Heritage Bike Ride: Sunday, September 29, 2019 @ 10am-12noon. Our annual Culture Days event taking you places you can’t see by car and would be too far to walk. We have an order in for good weather!
Port Credit Federal All-Candidates Meeting: Tuesday, October 8, 2019 @ 7-9pm at Clarke Hall. The federal general election is Monday, October 21, 2019. NOTE: A real elevator is being installed at Clarke Hall from September thru to December 2019 (replacing the lift). This means the building will only be accessible via the staircase during this time.
TOPCA AGM and Public Program: November 2019. Date TBA.
As always, your comments posted to any of our platforms (or sent by email) are most welcome to help ensure we’ve heard everything and to be included in any formal response!
ABOUT US: TOPCA is affiliated with the City of Mississauga through the volunteer community group registry. We rely on membership contributions to cover ongoing expenses, including our website domain, hall rentals, print materials (e.g. flyers) and officers & directors insurance. Your membership renewals are important to maintain TOPCA as a vital residents’ association. Citizen engagement is the hallmark of our community, and we really appreciate our membership staying connected and supporting TOPCA’s volunteer role in the community as we work through the transformation of Port Credit together!
Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on citizen-oriented info and events in Port Credit. The TOPCA Calendar webpage lists upcoming Events.